More Than 100 Solar Panels Were Stolen From St. Croix Educational Complex Job Site, V.I. Energy Office Said

The Virgin Islands Energy Office said it was notified on July 5, 2023, that more than 100 solar panels had been stolen from the active job site for a solar-and-battery microgrid project at the St. Croix Educational Complex.

According to the July 8, 2023, Government House statement, the stolen panels represented about 50 kilowatts of solar capacity. The statement said the thieves cut through the site's perimeter fence, opened packaging containing the equipment, removed the panels and left undetected.

Government House said the stolen equipment had been purchased through a $625,000 Energizing Insular Communities grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior awarded to the Energy Office.

The project, which broke ground on April 14, 2023, was designed as a 150-kilowatt solar system paired with a 300-kilowatt battery microgrid at the school. The statement said the project had been scheduled for completion by August 2023, but the theft of nearly a third of the required solar materials jeopardized that timeline.

Before the theft, civil site work had been completed, more than 120 solar panels had been installed and major electrical infrastructure was beginning to take shape, according to the statement.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/federally-funded-solar-equipment-stolen-from-school-emergency-job-site/